


Emotional Chatter

by Misguidedghostwriter



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, WandaVision (TV)
Genre: BAMF Wanda Maximoff, Crying, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hangover, Hurt Wanda Maximoff, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Nightmares, Poor Life Choices, Pre-Wanda Maximoff/Vision, Suicidal Thoughts, Takes place right after her brother dies, Telepathic Wanda Maximoff, Underage Drinking, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Wanda Maximoff Needs a Hug, When she's living at the Avenger's Tower appartment, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29946861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misguidedghostwriter/pseuds/Misguidedghostwriter
Summary: Wanda is alone in a new country. Her out of control powers and out of control grief haunt her in equal measures. Come hang out with our favorite OP hot mess as she copes poorly with the situation.This is a one shot collection with an over arching plot.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	1. Emotional Chatter

Wanda was having a nightmare.

She dreamed she was at the bottom of a cold well with smooth unscalable walls. Up to her chest, she was caked in quicksand which held her in place like a muddy straight jacket. From the top of the well, a red spotlight shone down on her. The spotlight burned her skin with searing heat. The quicksand around her was freezing cold.

But the worst part was the water. Drop by drop water rained down, filling the well and threatening to drown her with enough time. With each splash into the sand, she heard a different disjointed voice.

Splash “Don’t hurt me.”

Splash “I’ll kill you.”

Splash “You don’t have to do this, please, PLEASE.” That splash was followed up by a blood curdling scream.

‘I need to get out of here.’ She thought another drop fell, this one hit her on the forehead. She winced, the water felt like acid boring through her skull and into her brain.

“You’ll die here, you’ll die here!” A mocking voice rang out.

Wanda took a deep breath, but that proved to be a mistake. As she breathed in, the water level rose sharply, the spotlight grew as bright as the sun. The perspective of the dream switched to third person. She was outside her body, watching herself drown and watching her hair float upward in the swirling red glowing water. The quicksand loosened and rose around her. She could swim up, if only...no.

An iron chain was clipped around her ankle and fastened to the ground.

Sounds and sensations, gasping, crying, and screaming, swirled around her head. Wanda couldn’t move, she could only breathe in the dirty water. Her head swam, her heart beat out of her chest.

The perspective switched again, and she returned to her body. Her eyes were turned upward towards the spotlight. She was overheated and freezing, and for a second in the murk she saw his face, her brother, his hand extended, his smile warm.

“Let's go home.” His voice echoed around her as she took her dying breath.

It was then that Wanda’s dream blurred. She was still surrounded by red, floating, but there was no water, only open, inky dark air. “I’m dead.” she murmured, finding her voice for the first time. “I’m dead.” Her voice cracked. Tears spilled from her eyes. She was dead and her brother still wasn’t there. Maybe she was in hell.

No. No. She realized the truth with a jolt of panic and relief. She was awake. She was in the Avengers Tower. The red light was her own powers, suspending her in the air above her bed.

With the realization, her powers dropped, and so did she. The short fall to the mattress felt like an eternity. When she landed, her head smacked into something solid. It took her a moment to realize it was her phone she had left on her bed.

A soft voice filled the room, and for a moment, Wanda wasn’t sure if it was real, or static from the thoughts of others sleeping in the nearby apartments. Yes those voices were fading in now, in fact she recognized a few from her dream.

That was the trouble with her powers, in her sleep, she absorbed others' nightmares. She let the chatter in, listening to a dozen dreaming voices.

Someone was dreaming about a loved one dying. Another was dreaming about being a space captain on a star ship. Another was dreaming about riding a very intense roller coaster.

As she let the voices in, she felt worse and worse. Every muscle was tightly coiled. Every nerve was a live wire.

The voices got louder, and heavier and she thought she would snap under the pressure. Tears wouldn’t stop running down her face, and the irrational part of her thought she could drown in them.

And yet, that soft voice continued to talk, more real and distinct than the others. And she couldn’t hone in on it like she could the other voices. It had no emotions or pictures attached. It took her far too long to recognize what the voice was saying.

“Medical help will be called in 3, 2, 1.” Then a soft beep.

Right, her room was equipped with an AI system, one which monitored her and would tattle on her if it thought she was in danger.

Wanda felt a flush of embarrassment and a spark of annoyance.

“I’m fine.” She tried telling the system. “I don’t need help. I’m fine.”

“On the contrary,” The AI responded “You are showing signs of tachycardia and a panic attack. I detect high levels of psychic energy in the area. Past events link this emotional state to outbursts of power which could be a danger yourself or others. Please stand by, medical assistance is on the way.

It was then that a wayward emotion struck Wanda. She didn’t know if it was hers, or someone else’s, and frankly, she wasn’t in a state where she could tell the two apart.  
Defiance. Anger. A deep feeling that she was being talked down to and controlled. And above all, a primal urge to self destruct if only to spite her captors.

Half thanks to her body and half thanks to her levitation powers, she sprung from her bed, kicking away her twisted sheets and taking her phone into her hand.

Should she get dressed? No. No time.

In her PJs-a pair of sweatpants, a too big robe and a T-shirt with holes in he hem-she stormed towards her apartment door and went to throw it open. It stayed locked.

“Let me out.” She growled.

“Please lie back down.” The AI responded.

The dark emotions around Wanda surged. “Open.” She told the door.

The door was enveloped in a red glow, then it swung open.

Wanda marched down the hallway of the Avengers Tower. She didn’t know where she was going. She didn’t care what she was doing. Her steps echoed through the darkened halls.

On her way, she saw two men with medical gear hurrying towards her room. They paused when they saw her, slight fear lighting their features.

Wanda’s eyes were glowing red, her stance that of a tantrum throwing toddler. She glared daggers at the pair. They froze on the spot. Then, slowly they turned to face the wall, as if they were in time out. 

Wanda passed them. She held their minds blank for some time, at least until she was safely in the elevator, then she dropped the mind control.

She just needed a walk to clear her head. She just needed quiet and cold clean air.

She took direct step after direct step and eventually left the tower.

She had barely noticed when her powers gave her a makeover. In an instant, her ratty PJs shifted. She was now wearing a puffy coat and a soft scarf and cozy boots. She stood on a busy street surrounded by skyscrapers.

She had a single lucid moment to realize her mistake.

She was an empath, with out of her control powers, at 2 in the morning, in a city full of nightlife. There would be no clean air here, and there would be no quiet.

A group of laughing, drunk 20-somethings walked past her on the street, and for a moment she was overcome by their emotions.

Dizzy, rosy cheeked. Crossfaded with alcohol and something else, laughing and easy and relaxed. Wanda felt drunk off their very presence. She stepped away from the tower and followed the group, layering silk mind control over them. The message she sent was simple; ‘treat me like an old friend.’

The leader of the group, a grinning girl with curly black hair smiled at Wanda. “Hey girl, come roll with us.” She laughed. “We’re doing karaoke.”

And with that, any thought of what the AI had said; ‘Past events link this emotional state to outbursts of power which could be a danger yourself or others’ faded into the background of a living city.

She fell in step with the strangers, her own cheeks burning with alcohol she hadn’t touched. She allowed the emotions of the night to blur with neon colors and a fresh, optimistic sense of adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So fun fact about this fic, it's a prompt fic.
> 
> The plan is to write one shots with open endings. If you feel inspired to fill in the gaps with your own fics, please do. I'd love to read what you guys come up with.


	2. Hangover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda wakes up with a hangover.

Wanda woke up at noon. She was curled up on a small couch. A leather jacket was draped around her like a blanket. When she sat up, her head swam and her vision blurred. A sharp nausea made her feel weak and small.

She quickly scanned the room. Right across from her was an open door and beyond that door, a bathroom. She stumbled off the couch and barely made it to the toilet in time to vomit. Her puke had a chemical smell to it. Alcohol.

She hugged the toilet, feeling unstable and shaky. She noticed that her hair-which hadn’t been spared by the puke-hung in delicate, artful braids. She certainly hadn’t braided it. Her clothes were back to her pajamas she had worn in the tower, and she was barefoot.

She took small looks around the strange bathroom. She noticed that the towels were very small and plain. The soaps in the shower were stored in tiny bottles. Was this...a hotel?

She didn’t have much time to think about this, as her stomach gave another painful wretch. Once more she puked. This time it was just yellow bile. 

What had happened last night?

Flashes of the evening came tumbling back to her. She was singing on stage. She was dancing with a group of people. Bright lights and pretty patterns washed over a loud club. Booming music with a living base rewrote her heartbeat. She was high on a thousand different emotions, tapping into the wasted club gores, feeling what they felt. 

Then, another memory. A bartender wouldn’t serve her, because she was only 18, so she had...oh...that was an abuse of her powers. She remembered the tender’s blank face as she mind controlled him for a drink. Then another. Then another. 

But how had she gotten to the hotel?

A sound of an opening door made Wanda freeze.

There were footsteps. Someone called her name. And then;

“Woah...you okay?” A woman’s voice asked.

Very slowly, Wanda turned her head. A girl, older than her by a few years, was standing outside the bathroom door, eyeing Wanda with caution and pity. Wanda recognized her from last night. It was the curly haired woman who Wanda had followed .

She tried to remember the girl’s name. Elena? Ellen? Something with an ‘el’.

Wanda's throat hurt too much to respond to the woman. She simply shook her head slowly.

The movement made Wanda’s stomach lurch again, although, she held back the puke this time.

“Okay.” The woman frowned. “I brought you some breakfast from downstairs.” She held up a plate with some pancakes and yogurt. “I figure it’s not a good idea for you to be wandering around, what with you being an Avenger. Who knows what the paparazzi would do with that.”

Wanda scrunched up her face. Another memory fragment shattered across her mind. She was sitting on the hotel couch, crying her eyes out, spilling her entire life story to this stranger as the woman gently braided her hair.

A disturbing thought found Wanda. She was alone in a hotel room after a night of drinking…”Di-did we…?” She rasped.

“Oh! Um, no. No, we didn’t. You were drunk and some creeps were hitting on you, so I brought you back here to crash. I wouldn’t take advantage…” she blushed “I mean, you’re really pretty, so, it’s not because...I don’t…” She took a breath “We didn’t even kiss.”

“O...oh.” Wanda was blushing as well. “Okay, good. Um…” She felt incredibly awkward. “I’m sorry but...what’s your name again?”

“Elly.” The girl said.

There was a moment of tense silence. Then Elly said, “You should take a shower, steam helps with a hangover. I have some spare clothes that might fit you. I’ll also call you a cab if you don’t have any money.”

Wanda appreciated this more than she could say.

With effort, Wanda rose to her feet. “Can you bring me my phone?” She asked.

Elly nodded and left Wanda’s sight. Wanda flushed the toilet then she sat on the edge of the bath.

A moment later, Elly returned with some spare clothes and Wanda’s phone. Wanda, of course, had several missed calls. One came from Steve, another from Natasha, and one from Clint. She dialed Natasha first.

The phone barely rang once before it was picked up.

“Wanda?” Natasha responded. “Are you safe?”

“Ya. I’m fine.” Her voice still sounded strained and hurt.

“You don’t sound fine. Where are you?”

That was a good question “I don’t know.” She said simply.

“Well, stay where you are. We’re tracking this line, we’ll send someone to get you.”

Wanda was uncomfortable “No, no, I’ll come back on my own.” Just then another wave of nausea hit her. She made a sort of strangled whimper and before she knew what was happening, she was puking again. The stomach acid burned her throat. When she was finished, she simply sat on the floor. Her head hurt, so much so that she couldn’t think.

A small voice was coming from her cell. With shaky hands, Wanda lifted the phone to her ear.

“‘M still ere.” She muttered.

“We’re sending a medical team too.” Natasha sounded extremely worried. “Stay on the phone with me, okay?”

“N-no. I have to,” Wanda’s voice broke into a whine. Her head hurt so badly. It hadn’t hurt this much since the HYDRA experiments. “Take a shower.” She finished.

“Stay on the phone Wanda.”

“I’ll give the phone to my friend.” Wanda muttered. “She’ll tell you where to find me.”

She stood up and the world around her spun like an old record. For a second she considered crawling to Elly, but instead she hugged the wall and made her way to the main hotel room.

“Wanda, stay on the phone.” Nat said again, this time with force.

Wanda didn’t listen. Elly was sitting on a chair, watching TV.

“Hey girl, you okay?” 

“Here.” Wanda gave the phone to Elly. “Tell her which hotel we’re at.”

She didn’t give Elly a chance to respond. She caught clips of the conversation on the way back to the bathroom. Elly sounded star struck talking to an avenger.

Seconds later, Wanda found herself alone in the shower.

Hot water. That wasn’t a privilege she was used to yet. She kept turning the water warmer and warmer until her skin took on a red glow. The water was so hot it hurt. Wanda didn’t bother standing. She sat in the tub with her knees to her chest, unbraiding and washing her hair.

She didn’t have it in her to cry. She couldn’t stop thinking about how much trouble she was in. Would she be kicked out of the tower? Would the Avengers decide she should have been left in jail? Would they lock her up so she couldn’t leave?

She hadn’t had true freedom for as long as she was alive. It was only now, hungover, but temporarily free, that she realized how badly she wanted to run.

A wayward thought found her. Maybe she should just keep running.

Under the too hot water she occupied herself with thoughts of a different life. She imagined herself living on the road, mind controlling her way to whatever she wanted, getting high at night off the emotions of party goers. She could self destruct, do something stupid, and maybe she’d just end up dying somewhere. Grief and nightmares couldn’t reach her in death.

But all this was just a fantasy.

She was still in the shower when agents from the tower arrived. She could hear heavy boots and deep voices. Wanda shut off the hot water, got dressed, and opened the bathroom door to face her fate.

She didn’t even get to eat her pancakes.

Before she knew it, she said goodbye to Elly and found herself in an armored car being driven back to the tower. She had a vague notion that she was clutching a puke bag and fading in and out of conscience.

Eventually, she fell asleep to the sight of tall skyscrapers passing by her through tinted windows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, chapter 1 was nightmare whump. Chapter 2 was hangover whump. What whump hides behind door number 3? We'll see.


End file.
